Unveil to Me What is Forbidden
by momosky
Summary: The Forest of Certain Death is not a place most Mewmans would hang out in for fun, Princess Eclipsa is not like most Mewmans. While taking a secret night walk, she meets a kid monster who intrigues and challenges her perceptions of monsters and her own people, beginning a ripple effect to the Butterfly Dynasty with long-term consequences.


Disclaimer: _Star vs. The Forces of Evil_ and all its characters, locations, references, concepts, and images are the property of Daron Nefcy, Disney, and all other respective owners (I don't know them all). This is a fan work meant to be enjoyed by other fans. I do not make any money from this. Please support the official release. The parents of Toffee and their names are also not mine. They belong to the talented artist Kaitlin V-H.

Author's Note: Well, _Battle for Mewni_ made me feel all the feelings, gave some answers, and raised more questions. I enjoyed it for the most part. One of my main complaints is how Toffee was handled. That intelligent, scheming Septarian is one of my favorite characters and I just wanted to learn so much more about him. Thankfully, I'm not the only fan who feels this way. I suppose it was this desire that spawned the idea of a connection between Toffee and Eclipsa that goes beyond the darkest spell Moon used. I like Eclipsa so far and now that we have learned even more about her since her return, I'm mostly sure this story can be placed firmly in the AU category…and I am okay with that. One could say AUs have been helping me see more of my favorite Septarian, despite his cannon fate.

There is still so much we don't know about Eclipsa and Toffee in the cannon universe, at least at the time of this writing, that any kind of elaborations on their backstories are purely speculative. Eclipsa could be the evilest of evil Star has ever faced or she could be misunderstood. Personally, I like the misunderstood route as I think it aligns with the show's overall themes of being different and doing things one's own way, systematic oppression, speciesism, social bias, and the dramatization of historical events which are often told by the victors. It is my view that evil is not born, it is made. I also very much kept Daron Nefcy's quote about Toffee in mind as a "Magneto-type character." So, think of this story as a time before Eclipsa became the Queen of Darkness and Toffee became a general who does morally questionable things, a time when both characters had more optimism about the future. I tried to write them with this mindset but still make them recognizable as the characters we see in the show. I have no idea if I succeeded or utterly failed. You tell me!

Though I'm not new to writing and fanfic writing, this is my first published work so any feedback or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. There is always room for improvement. This is my first time writing for Toffee and Eclipsa so I'm sorry if it's not the best. I was fast and loose with the clothing and magically enhanced technology in Mewni as the show itself seems to have a weird mix of all different things from various time periods, like warnicorn drawn carriages and modern vending machines, while also having a three class-like system. I also have no idea how Mewmans and monsters age, let alone monsters like Septarians. I'm following my own head-cannon that they age at a similar rate to Mewmans but then their ageing slows down considerably once they reach adulthood and can live for hundreds of years. I imagine them having incredibly long lifespans, like sea turtles, which are also reptiles so it works in my mind. Original characters are mentioned and some show up but they all have a purpose in the story. At least, I tried to make it that way. As stated before, Toffee's parents are not mine, they belong to the talented and lovely Kaitlin V-H. Oh, and I took a little inspiration from Winston Churchill, he was great with subtly insulting people.

As a final note, I apologize for any dyslexia-induced mistakes that I may not have seen. This story does not have a beta reader, if anyone is interested please let me know through messaging on the site. I hope enjoyment can be found in this weird, long, slightly alternate universe one-shot. If you made it through this long author's note, I give you virtual cookies and a high five!

If anyone is interested, here are the fantastic works of fan art that also helped inspire me to write this.

 _Princess Eclipsa_ by AskGuinGF art/Princess-Eclipsa-677115326

The sketches by Kaitlin V-H (Toffee's parents) post/162865264796/what-kind-of-domestic-life-do-monsters-have-1

These beautiful drawings by full-moon-phoenix post/164112740122/ive-got-a-headcanon-here-and-it-goes-with-the

The pervasive darkness in the Forest of Certain Death marked everything with a pale, comforting gloom. The buzz and chirp of insects were a familiar background concerto for Princess Eclipsa Butterfly as she ambled through the woods. Her legs and feet were covered by ebony trousers and hiking boots that aided her in evading the spiky trunks of trees. Her dark purple blouse with its long sleeves and high neckline shielded her from the forest's nightly, cooler air.

For being twelve years old, she thought she knew her way around this forest quite well without the use of the magical, yet safer, pathways her fellow Mewmans relied upon. _Thinking about how long I've been sneaking out to play here, that comes as no surprise._ She thought, feeling a swell of pride at her own resourcefulness and intimate knowledge of the woodland. 

Eclipsa paused in her walk to look up at a group of bleeding willow trees, keeping the hood of her black cloak in place on her head, which helped her blend into her surroundings. The snowy-white, spiky trunks of the trees stood firm even in the greatest challenges. There were some with thick branches that grew upward as if reaching for the sky with their inflamed leaves. Others possessed skeleton thin branches that were flexible and strong, bending without breaking as they hung down in blood red clusters. A small smile graced her lips as she admired their crimson beauty and danger. They were always her _favourite_ trees in this forest due to their adaptability and strength even in the most challenging conditions. The girl walked over to the closest tree, standing under its long, thin tendrils and dark red leaves. She breathed slowly and deeply, enjoying their spicy scent. With every exhale, she felt her stressors fading away.

The judgmental, strange stares she received from the nobles whenever she would use a knife to carve out flowers or monster figures from her own daydreams out of soap bars…

The gossipy whispers of her aunts, uncles and cousins on her father's side of the family during celebrations or events…

The gloriously green wings she must follow in the flight path of from her mother Queen Estelle, Healer of Land. She earned her title when she used her magic to end a severe drought accidentally caused by a spell from Grandmother Sunniva. By that time, Estelle had already inherited the wand and throne so Sunniva's spell had been cast through a dipping down gone wrong. The spell was so strong that any magic created to counteract it, like changing the weather or growing crops, resulted in failure. It was a spell that had lasted for eight, long years. Eclipsa had only been two years old when the drought started. Estelle eventually became well versed enough in magic use with the wand to break the spell, bring the rains back, and restore all Mewni farm lands to their glory days. She even met with monster leaders and forged historic trading agreements to help all inhabitants of Mewni, except for the Underworld as they were not affected, recover. She invented new crop breeding techniques just last year. _Yes, that's not a legacy to be intimated by at all…_

The Mewberty phase talk with said mother only a few days ago…just the two of them, sitting in her parents' bedchambers and still dressed in sleeping clothes…Mother with her short, curly, green hair tucked into her floral bonnet and her pale green three moon cheek emblems surrounded by pink as she explained the 'wonders of life' to her daughter…

Talk of possible arranged marriages…

Digging her own fingernails into the meat of her palms, suppressing her anger, but resulting in scarlet, crescent shaped marks to be hidden with gloves…

The slowly mounting pressure of her people's expectations and trust in her to protect them one day…

A wind blew in Eclipsa's direction and the princess closed her grayish-purple eyes briefly. She allowed the smells and sounds of the forest to wash over her and temporarily take her worries away with the caring breeze. Lighter and calmer she felt, her troubled mind quiet. She then opened her eyes and stepped out from under the tree before she tilted her head up. The thick canopy prevented sunlight and moonlight from penetrating most of the forest. However, there were some places where light broke through. There were small clearings and areas where the tree branches were not as compact. Eclipsa looked up at one of those areas.

The dark, intertwining branches above her gave the illusion of a broken night sky made up of smaller fragments. Eclipsa gazed up at the little bits of sky that showed through those condensed branches, noting the several shining stars that kept the ever-present celestial bodies company. _It may look broken, but there is still splendor to be found._ She wondered what it would be like to travel to the stars and planets, encountering new alien life and new civilizations. Oh, what an adventure that could be! The knowledge she could gain! All knowledge is good knowledge. After a few more moments, she looked ahead to continue her quiet walk, enjoying her time of not having an escort or guard.

The princess soon came upon a large Flytrap monster with its gleaming fangs lying in wait for unsuspecting prey. As she walked around it, keeping her eyes fixed on the plant, she reached a dark glove covered hand into her left trouser pocket. With a grin, she pulled out a golden wrapped cube. She unwrapped the covering, which revealed a yellow candy cube and put the wrapper into her back right trouser pocket. The girl was thankful candy of Mewni was enchanted to not melt until placed inside a mouth. Eclipsa then tossed the sweet directly into the vicinity of the creature's mouth. It snapped its jaws firmly closed, seeming to enjoy the sugary treat if the twitching of the leaves were anything to go by.

"Good show, Cleo!" Eclipsa praised, "Think of the toffee as an apology for being away for so long. Next time, I'll be sure to sneak away with some dark meat for you." As she turned and walked away from the carnivorous plant with a sweet tooth, she mused on the techniques of ambush predators. She liked how they relied on stealth or by strategy, rather than by speed or strength to survive.

A rustling from a nearby berry bush caused the Mewman Princess to pause once again, hearing a familiar growling noise. Moments later, an indigo coloured furry animal with prickly spikes, about the size of a rabbit, revealed itself; its lavender eyes glowing and baring its fangs in another growl. Eclipsa crouched down to sit on her knees in the soft dirt of the forest floor, opening her arms. "Hello, Snookers! Have you been a good boy?"

Snookers let out a sound that was a combination of a bark and a growl before using his short, stout legs to run into the young girl's arms. His unbridled enthusiasm caused the hood of her cloak to fall away from her head, revealing her red spade cheek emblems and her long, curly, teal coloured hair. Snookers' quills laid flat and relaxed against his back. He pressed his muzzle against Eclipsa's chest as she giggled and gently scratched his head in between his long, pointed ears.

As she moved her scratching hand from head to just under his flank, where his soft fur was located, she spoke to her spiky friend. "I know it's been some time since I saw you last. I'm sorry. There are big changes I'm going to go through soon and I fear I may not be able to come play as often. I wish I could just take you back to the castle with me, but Mother would never allow it. She would prefer it if I had a normal pet…like a puppy. But those types of pets are so typical. Where's the adventure in that?" Snookers cocked his head in response, not seeming to understand the appeal of normality any more than Eclipsa did.

"I have something for you," Eclipsa announced as Snookers moved out of her arms to sit on the ground next to her. Reaching into her right trouser pocket, the Mewman pulled out a chocolate candy bar. She opened it, broke it in half, and placed one half in front of Snookers. The indigo coloured animal gave his namesake a small sniff before attacking the treat viscously.

Eclipsa bit into her half, enjoying the sweet decadence that coated her tongue. She relished the chocolate at a pace that was not as fast as her friend's, remembering to keep her pinky extended as she did. Her private teacher Mariposa would be so proud! _If she saw me without my crown and sitting on the dirty floor of a dark, gloomy forest with a prickly, monstrous animal, she would be less than thrilled._ Eclipsa let out a giggle as she thought of her strict, no nonsense teacher, with her dark brown hair in its usual bun, flailing her arms about and going on a rant about 'proper princess behavior,' before promptly being chased by a growling Snookers.

There were so many rules and traditions surrounding being a princess and a queen. It was mentally exhausting studying them all, especially with a detail oriented teacher like Mariposa, and emotionally exhausting attending some of the required functions, like parties and handling the grievances of subjects. It was like one must put on a queen mask that is always to be worn, one that allowed little room for individuality or imperfections. It was a part of her future, but a part she was not looking forward to. Her fourteenth birthday was something to look forward to because with it came the wand, magic access, and more knowledge. Most of all, with the wand came freedom. She could do what she wanted and learn things her way with a new teacher.

 _I wonder how Glossaryck will teach me when I inherit the wand._ According to Mother, he usually changes his teaching style to best fit each princess's learning style. He also seemed quite neutral, so he was not always the best when it came to giving political advice. She pondered if he would be impressed by her self-taught knowledge of magic and her small, personal book collection on the subject. She had been reading up on the different kinds of magic in her spare time and found spells involving incantations most interesting, especially when they rhyme. Incantations with the wand could certainly make sneaking out at night easier. Just two years left…sweet freedom, she could almost taste it…or perhaps that was the chocolate.

High-pitched whimpering jolted Eclipsa out of her musings and she turned to Snookers, giving him a curious look. The monstrous animal had finished his treat and his ears were up and alert, flicking forward before he began walking in the direction of…something his sensitivities picked up on. Eclipsa got to her feet and followed her friend without a word, eating the remainder of her candy before putting the folded wrapper into her right, back trouser pocket.

The last time Snookers followed his ears, he had led Eclipsa to a trapped giant centipede-like monster carrying her several dozen eggs on her back. Knowing the entire family was going to end up as trophies for some Mewman monster hunters, Eclipsa freed the family before her fellow Mewmans returned to an empty trap. The young, teal-haired girl put her faith in Snookers when it came to picking up sounds of distress ever since.

Snookers eventually led Eclipsa to a small clearing with a boulder half her size and partway covered in moss. Near the center of the clearing was a large hole sealed off with what looked like magically reinforced metallic bars. Upon closer inspection, Eclipsa realized it was a metallic cage embedded in the ground. Its bars will send out an electrical burst to any contact from a non-Mewman and will only unlock when it recognizes the touch and voice of a Mewman.

Eclipsa stood close to the cage's opening and Snookers sat on his haunches at her feet with his ears more relaxed. The princess braced herself for anything she might find in the cage. She inhaled and exhaled deeply in an attempt to calm her nerves, leaning forward slightly and peering down through the small holes in between the bars to see what the trap contained. The cage floor was littered with leaves and the shredded remains of a once large piece of dark canvas. The walls of the cage had several deep dents and scratches from powerful claws.

Inside stood a young, male, scrawny, lizard-like monster with gray-blue scaled skin. His reptilian snout was bared in a grimace and was shorter than what she had seen on fully grown monsters of his kind in some of her books. The dark purple hair atop his head was pulled back into a short, scruffy ponytail. His tail was twitching and thrashing in aggravation as he cradled his blackened right hand to his chest. His body was clad in a white and dark red garment that was long enough to be a dress, stopping at his knees. It had long sleeves and a V-neck line, exposing his long neck. The clothing also had bands of gold coloured fabric embroidered at the edges and two long slits along the thighs, revealing beige trousers tucked into dark brown boots. It was the kind of attire that indicated higher socioeconomic status. He didn't look too much older than her, maybe fourteen or fifteen. _He's just a kid…like me._

Eclipsa observed with wide, awed, and fascinated grayish-purple eyes as the monster kid rolled up his sleeves to his elbows before he opened his jaws and bit his own right hand off. He then spat it onto the cage floor. The monster's brows were furrowed in concentration as ribbons of muscle, bone, skin, and other layers grew from his wrist. The various layers recombined and stitched themselves together, forming a small, infant-like hand before rapidly growing in proportion to the rest of his body. Within moments, he quickly and efficiently regenerated a perfectly new clawed hand for himself. Eclipsa had never seen a Septarian in person before, let alone one who displayed their abilities with such elegance, and she already found this one to be quite impressive.

Eclipsa waved her hand in greeting as she said, "Salutations! You are Septarian, right? You don't look like a baby-eating, body horror creature to me. You're just a kid."

The Septarian boy snapped his head up so quickly, he was shocked he didn't give himself whiplash. His yellow eyes widened with amazement as he looked at Princess Eclipsa, not quite believing what he was seeing. He had been so focused on his damaged hand and using it as an opportunity to practice his regeneration; he had not even detected her Mewman scent. His thoughts were spinning so fast, he temporarily forgot about his hunger, aching claws, and anger about being trapped in this accursed Mewman cage. The Princess of Mewni? Out so late at night, alone? In the Forest of Sentient Flora? Why was she out here? Was she demented? And why was she being so…friendly?

He then crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. His reptilian brain replayed her words to him. Baby eating? Seriously! When has a Septarian ever done that? The short answer is never. At least, no such evidence could be found in the meticulously kept records of his kind. Body horror? Well, he supposed he could understand that view from anyone who was not accustomed to being around their regeneration. It was a skill that takes most many years to master and for some of the elders it could take hours to regrow a limb or even weeks if the damage was more extensive. Even he was still struggling to regrow fully formed limbs as opposed to layers first. He could see why such capabilities could be unnerving from an outsider's perspective. However, to have his distinct, enviable ability that was so closely tied to his culture framed with such unpleasant words left a bad taste in his mouth.

He could respond to her words in any number of ways: anger, beastly snarling, indifference, or a sharp quip. After all, she was just another Mewman indoctrinated with propaganda to further marginalize his kind. In this appalling cage, he was as good as dead, so he might as well speak his mind. He kept his face apathetic, his body language giving nothing away aside from resistance. When he spoke, his voice was calm yet had a sarcastic edge to it, "Oh, forgive me for not living up to your Mewman standards of propaganda. I'm nothing compared to you, Princess, who has all the merits I abhor and none of the vices I admire."

Eclipsa recognized that slightly modified, subtly insulting quote from anywhere. _My, my…feisty, smart and he's literate!_ What a challenge! The conversations they could have! The young girl smiled, clasping her hands in front of her chest in excitement, "Oh, you read Coco Windfall? Me too! You would not believe the strings I had to pull to get a Septarian's book in my personal collection but it was worth it. I think your written language is so lovely with its curvy lines and pictograms. I'm very thankful for Windfall's work as a first-hand account of some of the bloodiest battles between Mewmans and Monsterkind over the last few hundred years. His passages on the cost of war and the monster disadvantages are so powerful. Those are the details that are never mentioned in my school books. When I become queen, I want to do everything I can to further ease tensions, admitting to and acknowledging even more of our past mistakes, and fostering long-lasting peace between all Mewnians."

The Septarian boy was stunned into silence. He slowly uncrossed his arms as he gazed up at the Princess of Mewni with wide, wondrous eyes. A Mewman Princess who possessed advanced enough linguistic intelligence to read his native language? Who liked Septarian literature? Not just any literature, but literature by one of the authors who was once considered one of the greatest in Septarsis and one of his personal favorites. She even used Windfall's work to better understand the monster side of things. She wanted to take responsibility for her family line's past atrocities. It was almost too good to be true. In his young, fourteen-year life span, never had he heard a Mewman talk so passionately about literature and even peace between their species, let alone one so close to the top of the hierarchy. She was very odd, yet interesting…for a Mewman.

Eclipsa met his stare, her eyes momentarily flickering to the little fang tips that stuck out of his snout and musing if they were as sharp as they looked. A growling stomach from the cage disturbed their tranquil moment.

"How long have you been trapped down there?" Eclipsa asked.

He did not answer right away, subtly shifting his weight from one foot to another. He _despised_ being perceived as weak. _"Soft spots and weaknesses can be taken advantage of and that is something a Monster cannot afford in a Mewman's world."_ The wise words of his mother Taffy echoed in his head, her yellow eyes distant and light blue face unemotional as she remembered past battles and absent friends. However, he didn't see the point in lying since the princess already heard his stomach. He flicked his tail a few times, looking away from the girl as he answered, "Since sunset."

 _Well then, that explains his cranky attitude,_ Eclipsa thought as her brow furrowed in sympathy, _I would be irritable too, if I was trapped in a cage for so long without any food._ Eclipsa thought of herself being the one trapped down there with little hope of ever seeing her family again. She felt compassion grasp her heart tightly and pull her toward the Septarian. She bit her pale, bottom lip.

Eclipsa knew the monster hunters would return in the morning and she knew what they would do to this kid if they found him…it would not be kind. Being a Septarian they couldn't kill him, just slowly draw out his suffering for who knows how long. He could be put to secret slave labour or, perhaps even more ghastly, the hunters could take advantage of his regenerative abilities to have an endless supply of rare, Septarian body parts to sell in the markets. The princess suppressed a shiver of disgust at her people's behavior. She couldn't leave him to such a fate. No one deserved that.

Eclipsa removed the black, wrist length glove on her left hand before crouching down and pressing it to the hand scanner lock. The cold metal bit into her pale, callus free hand as she ordered the cage, "Unlock, open door, deactivate electrical bursts, and erase all activity from the last twenty-four hours. Authorization code: spade396." Being a princess certainly had its advantages.

The magical, monotone voice of the cage lock responded, "Mewman identification verified, voice command acknowledged." She removed her hand from the scanner lock, stood back up, and watched as the bars of the cage temporarily glowed blue before they returned to their normal gray color. Snookers stood and took a few steps back, his ears pointed in the direction of the cage. The dull, clinking sound of non-electrical enhanced metal was loud in the girl's ears as the cage door opened on its own. Once it was completely opened, she looked down at the monster boy expectantly.

The monster kid's mind whirled with questions, even as he kept his aloof façade in place. Why was she doing this? What would she get out of it? Was it pure sympathy or something more? Will she expect some return favor when they are both grown and she is the queen? He didn't like the thought of being indebted to a Mewman. He scowled up at her, not moving.

"You are one stubborn lizard!" Eclipsa's voice sounded exasperated, "Are you truly going to let your pride stand in the way of your freedom? Don't you have a family who will worry about you?"

The Septarian let out a low hiss of frustration, one undetectable to Mewman ears, and his tail whipped around. Inwardly, he cursed this cage for making him vulnerable and cursed the Mewman girl for being right. He momentarily closed his eyes, let out a soft sigh of acceptance, and took a few deep breathes, allowing time for his tail to relax. Once he was certain he had his emotions under proper control, he opened his eyes, picked up his charred, discarded hand, and placed it in his jaws. He then leapt up onto the cage wall, his clawed hands holding him up with ease. He climbed up the wall, the repetitive ka-chung of his sharp talons digging into the metal filled the air. Without magic the cage was little match for his claws, cutting through the steel as effortlessly as if it were made of butter.

As he climbed, his movements controlled and fluid, Eclipsa noticed he was not as undernourished as he looked at first glance. She observed how the lean, yet strong, muscles of his arms flexed under blue-gray scales and worked to free him of his prison. Eclipsa placed her hand back in her glove and took a few steps back, giving the boy some space as he got his footing on the soft forest floor. Snookers watched with his head tilted to the side curiously, not moving from his spot.

Eclipsa silently observed as the lizard-like monster rolled down his sleeves, took his old hand out of his mouth, and glanced at Snookers with an arched, curious brow. The Septarian's tail flicked three times and he let out a soft clicking noise. Snookers straightened his head, sat down, and let out a yipping sound in response with his long ears in a relaxed state. Despite the variance of sounds, the two seemed to have their own language. It was fascinating. Finally, the monster boy looked at the Mewman girl with a carefully stoic expression. His gaze was sharp and cold, as if coated with shards of ice around the edges. He moved with a kind of calculating grace and an aloof aura.

Eclipsa felt as if there was an impenetrable wall between them, one made up of centuries old stone drenched in blood and shrouded in mistrust. She wanted to change that. She sought to tear down that wall and replace it with a bridge. She knew such changes would not happen overnight, and some could even say it was a lost cause, but that did not deter her. As her mother says, _"Great things come to those who work hard and have patience."_ She felt she had an abundance of both, which will certainly be beneficial for when she endures the burden of Queendom.

The girl noticed her new monster acquaintance was a few heads taller than her, which was not much of a surprise because mostly everyone was taller than her. With his Septarian height, he would probably be the perfect partner to dance with. She wondered what kinds of dances monsters had. Did Septarians have their own culturally important dances? Were their tails involved? She could not help but admire how his yellow eyes seemed to have a golden glow in the moonlight. She felt a flutter in her stomach and her mouth went dry. _Stop it!_ She cursed her body's treacherous reactions as shame whirled within her like an unstoppable tornado.

Reptilian, yellow eyes trailed up and down her body calculatingly and Eclipsa successfully fought down the flush that wanted to appear on her face. His gaze lingered fleetingly on the wrists of her blouse, her hips, her waistline, and her ankles…all the places where she could have hidden weapons.

His face remained emotionless and he asked, "Why did you help me?" She must want something in return. Why else would a Mewman help a monster?

Suddenly, Eclipsa felt Snookers nudge her ankle with his head and she crouched down to give him another head scratch. Gratitude toward her friend filled her heart as he gave her the opportunity to focus on something other than mesmerizing, golden eyes. She cleared her throat before answering, "You can thank Snookers here for that. I never would have found you had it not been for him and his amazing ears," Her tone changed as she continued speaking, revealing her anger and disgust toward her people, "You're not our first monster rescue either. I know what monster hunters do to some of their catches and it sickens me. The entire practice of hunting monsters for sport sickens me. When I become queen, that will be one of the first things I abolish."

 _How fascinating, and not the answer I was expecting._ He kept his voice light and conversational as he said, "You don't have your infamous family heirlooms yet, or any weapons; I could kill you now with these claws." For emphasis, he lifted his free hand and flexed his dangerous talons toward her in a menacing way. He already decided he wouldn't kill her. Washing Mewman blood off his claws would be far too much of a hassle. Furthermore, he couldn't see such an action having a positive outcome in the long-term for him or his fellow Septarians. Yet, he was curious to see how she would react to that little hypothetical. She was fascinating.

Eclipsa stifled a smirk, feeling not a single flicker of fear. In truth, she had a hidden pocket near the inseam of her right trouser leg, which contained a covered, small knife. She brought it just in case it became necessary to defend herself. Only a fool would travel through this forest completely unarmed. Nevertheless, her new Septarian companion didn't need to know that.

"You could," Eclipsa agreed, her voice calm, "Though I don't think you will. I think you're much smarter than that. What would such an action do? It would anger the Queen, who so graciously used her magic to end the drought, hunger, and suffering for all inhabitants of Mewni, including monsters, and it would further fan the flames of hatred and distrust between our communities. That will, of course, result in more fighting and more lives being lost…for both sides. Wouldn't acting on such an emotional, thoughtless impulse be like taking a needle and stabbing a large hole through a tentatively sewn together tapestry of peace?" Smirking slightly, she glimpsed up at him. His eyes seemed to have thawed ever so slightly and even held a curious light to them.

The reptilian opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it. He looked over her head, his eyes distant and his brain reeled in thought. She did have some excellent points, she even recognized intellect when she saw it. Her response also revealed to him not only her own intelligence, but also just how deeply she thinks about things. She obviously has big ideas for when she inherits the throne, ideas that require strategy and long-term planning. He wondered briefly if she played any chess, like himself. He could not quite curb his smirk as he thought of Eclipsa's monster related endeavors shaking up the status quo of the posh, Mewman nobility. He would pay to see that.

He glanced in the direction of that infernal Mewman cage and frowned. A part of him was secretly impressed with it from a technological viewpoint. He liked gadgets and all things tech, even doing a little tinkering of his own during his months out of school. Seeing something as advanced as voice commands and handprint scans awakened a deep, intellectual curiosity and desire to take it apart and see what makes it tick. _But on the other claw, it is something enhanced with magic, so how advanced could it truly be?_

Of course, there was the cage's purpose, to keep monsters inside until they met their end. He thought back to his friends Mossi and Dossi, a two-headed green and purple monster of the Ancips Tribe. Decades ago, their tribe had to escape to the mountains after having their land forcibly annexed into the Butterfly Kingdom. At that time, Queen Sunniva was on the throne and the Ancips Tribe were not strong enough to fight back because they were, and almost always have been, artists and pacifists. Sunniva was notorious for her distrustful nature and smothering all she perceived as threats to her power and status, Mewman and Monster alike.

The Ancips Tribe was considered a threat due to their progress and development of their own forms of magic. The Septarians welcomed what remained of the tribe in their territory with open arms, bonding over losing land to the Mewmans. While the incident did not incite the war, it did contribute to the tensions on all sides. While Mewmans called the old queen the Bright, in Monster circles she was called the Paranoid. He had met Mossi and Dossi one day when he, his best friend Getan, and a few other monster kids were playing a game of Mewnian Tribes verses Mewmans.

They would play many more games as the years past. The Septarian closed his eyes momentarily to allow his mind to drift to bittersweet memories of his two-headed friend. He remembered sharing his geometric, three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles with them over a plate of his mother's rare grasshopper cookies. He remembered constructing elaborate mazes with them and inviting other monster kids to run the mazes when they were completed. They would watch each other's backs when they ventured into Mewman territory or other dimensions. His green and purple friend possessed a kind of spatial intelligence that enabled them to create beautiful stone sculptures. The reptilian-like monster remembered watching them chisel the stone to their will and artistic vision for hours, captivated. He remembered watching Mossi and Dossi cast a spell to enhance the texture of various sculptures. He remembered once watching a few of the tribe elders create new forms of art with their limited number of memorized spells.

Mossi and Dossi had the unfortunate fate of being trapped in a cage like the one he had fallen prey to shortly after the drought ended only two years ago. It had happened during celebration of his _favorite_ holiday The Great Monster Massacre or, as Mewmans call it, Mewnipendance Day. A couple of drunk, overzealous Mewmans decided that reenacting the monster battles was not enough for them and proceeded to hunt real monsters. He never saw his old friends again.

His parents have tried to raise him as a normal child with little cares and a life to be happy about. Despite their best efforts and his family's upper social class, the centuries long feuds and hostilities between Mewmans and Monsterkind seemed to affect him in his daily life one way or another. Having a sibling in the military didn't help either. Some years were better than others.

Mewmans took his older sister Caramel away. It was during the last war, before the dimension-wide drought forced Mewmans and monsters to stop fighting and focus on survival. Caramel was a dedicated warrior and had made it to the rank of Colonel. Like most Septarians, she possessed logical-mathematical intelligence that, in her case, proved to be useful in predicting battle outcomes. She was also bodily-kinesthetic intelligent and used her skills fiercely in battle. His father Coffee had recounted many stories about her to him as he grew, always told by the fireplace with his pipe in hand. According to Father, she had commanded many battles that ended in the Mewmans' retreat. She also knew when to retreat, thus saving even more monster lives. Father's dark brown eyes would always gleam with pride when he spoke of her and a fond smile would appear on his gray snout.

He was much younger when his sister was alive, around the three and four age range, so he remembered only a few things about her and he remembered the day she died. Nevertheless, what he did remember was enough to make his stomach and throat clench with emotion and his heart heavy with grief, even years after the fact. He remembered her leaning over him in his fledgling bed with her long, light purple hair, so much like their mother's, curtaining their faces and exchanging gentle snout caresses. He remembered her light brown colored eyes always shining with optimism, no matter how slow her gray-blue body was to regenerate or how bleak the war got for the monsters.

He remembered having nightmares of Mewman invasions and Caramel comforting him by wrapping one arm around his head and her tail around his shoulders and upper back. His dear sister had been a source of inspiration to him and she always encouraged him to pursue his interests. She had been so young when she died, only seventy-four; cut down before she reached her first one hundredth birthday. Septarians have naturally long life-spans and can survive most things, thanks to their regeneration. However, that did not make them completely immune to Lady Death. The fewer Mewmans who knew about that, the better.

He felt his melancholy morph into his near constant companions known as frustration, helplessness, and anger, side effects of being on the losing side. The emotions were mostly directed towards Mewmans and their magic. He was unable to repress the whipping of his tail as the emotions spread throughout his mind like an oppressive mist. Slowly and deeply he breathed as his mind brought forth the talented and lovely poet Vesper Calamitor of Septarsis and her sage words. 'Emotions fog the mind and impede logic. Without reason and logic, the world is chaotic. So, answer the call for logic and reason can be applied to all.'

 _Yes, logic. When emotions allow terrors of the past to bloom, logic roots us in the present._ Caramel was sensible, and she knew what she was getting herself into when she enlisted. She was not pressured; it was her choice. Taffy and Coffee did not want her to go but they still respected her decision and, in time, grew to be proud as she advanced through the ranks. It had been wartime; there are always casualties in war, no matter how much experience and talent the warriors possessed. Caramel died doing what she wanted, helping monsters against Mewmans. The occasional monster hunting aside, hostile or violent monster and Mewman encounters have been few and far between since Queen Estelle healed the land. For once, he thought a Mewman queen's title fit the wand wieldier.

The Mewmans who took his friends away were punished for what they did as per Queen Estelle's orders. She certainly has been a queen who has proven to be diplomatic and fair when interacting with monsters in positions of power, especially compared to her mother Sunniva. Hours after Queen Estelle had healed Mewni, she had been brave enough, or foolish depending on one's point of view, to venture into what remained of Septarian territory alone. She wanted to speak with those in charge and work out recovery plans. Logically, The Council of Squamae was suspicious and sent representatives to meet with her. With a chief legal officer of Quest Buy for a father and an influential and respected member of The Council for a mother, his parents were chosen as those representatives.

He remembered overhearing his parents talking about that very meeting in their parlor when they finally returned home. Apparently, Queen Estelle had been so apologetic about her mother's mistake; it had surprised even his Mewman weary parents. With the help of his parents' Septarian intellect, collaboration with The Council, and other monster leaders, they created a plan for the Mewmans to produce ten times more corn and distribute it equally to all inhabitants of Mewni, including the monster ones. The temporary arrangement worked as all the Mewni population recovered from the disaster and there has been a tentative peace ever since. When he thought about the ones he had lost, it was like they were with him, in a way. Still, even knowing these facts didn't completely take the pain away, perhaps it never would.

The Septarian boy finally opened his eyes to find his tail was no longer moving in agitation and was instead relaxed. Not for the first time, he was grateful for his people's meditation techniques. He then looked down at Eclipsa who was still petting Snookers, tilting his head slightly as he regarded her coolly. Logically, the princess had nothing to do with the incident that lead to his friends' death nor did she have anything to do with the last war. She did not give the orders to kill his sister and other monsters. It would be illogical to project such complexities between their peoples over so many decades onto her. _However, the cage's placement in the forest does little to help the princess's pretty words._

The boy placed his hands behind his back and scoffed, "Doesn't the very existence of these monster traps already create a hole in this tapestry?" He pondered if there was a device that could be built to disrupt their signal transmission or disguise monster voices…

Eclipsa stood up and gave the other kid a solemn nod, "You're absolutely right. Speciesist fools they are." The girl reached behind her into her left back trousers pocket and pulled out a corn energy bar. She held it out to him, "I know it's not much but it's important to keep your strength up, especially for growing kids like us."

Yellow eyes went wide before he took the offered food in his free hand. _She continues to surprise me._ The Mewman cultural significance of the corn was not lost on him, even if its form and the circumstances were less traditional. This was a clear offer of friendship. When he spoke, his voice was softer than it had been all evening, "Thank you…both of you."

Eclipsa smiled brightly, "You're welcome," She then turned to Snookers, "Come boy, help me move that boulder." Snookers let out a low yapping sound before following the girl to the moss boulder.

Eclipsa placed her hands as far down on the boulder as the ground would allow, braced her muscles, and looked over at Snookers standing on the other side of the rock. With his ears alert and straight ahead, he turned around facing away from the girl before crouching down. He then lifted the indigo quills along his back. While normally used for defense, the quills can also be used to skewer things and are strong enough to pierce stone. The spade-cheeked girl remembered one time while playing with Snookers, a loud noise had given him such a fright that he shot a few of his quills out of instinct. Most had stuck to trees while one had impaled a large, nearby rock.

Snookers now used his thick quills to penetrate his side of the boulder without disengaging them. Together, they lifted the boulder from the ground and walked it over to the still opened cage door. Once the cage registered something landing in it, the door will automatically close again, thus preventing future monsters who may wonder in this area from being trapped.

While working, Eclipsa's mind wondered to Mewman aristocracy and their attitudes towards monsters. She compared her new Septarian acquaintance to other, monster-looking creatures she had seen from other dimensions. Some had two heads, some had three eyes while others had tails, sharp fangs and looked just as outrageous as any monsters from Mewni. They were all well-educated, well-dressed, polite members of the aristocracy doing business at Butterfly Castle with various members of the Mewman nobility. They were treated with respect.

"It's not their fault they look a little monstrous, they are not like _them_ ," Baroness Munchester had told her once.

"All aristocracy are equal, no matter how many heads or eyes or tails," Count Kutsuou commented when Eclipsa had once asked about it.

Through her observations, Eclipsa deduced that this Septarian boy was clearly well-read and carried himself with a kind of poise one would expect from a member of the upper class. His parents must have some influence in the monster aristocracy. Yet, if he or any grown monster of his class were to attempt to do business with the Mewman nobles, they would be viewed as threats and thrown out. What is the difference? He is a monster from Mewni and therefore must be dangerous and irredeemably evil, echoing the majority perspective of middle and lower class Mewmans. What of the Magical High Commission? Some of their members look like they were sewn together with different monster body parts, like Lekmet and Rhombulus. They were not viewed as monsters because Glossaryck created them and thus possessed high governmental authority. Yet lizard people like the Septarians were viewed as monsters even if some of them hold their own high authoritative positions. It makes no sense! What is the difference? What in the rodent is the difference! How could she have not realized this sooner? The hypocrisy of it all was enough to make her want to scream or even run away! Instead of acting on those impulses, she gritted her teeth and put the energy her anger gave her into getting the boulder to the cage door.

As the reptilian boy ate his energy bar with its odd, grainy texture mix of corn and oats, and watched the Princess of Mewni move a boulder half her size to trick her subjects…to help a monster…he realized just how strange his life was. If someone had told him this morning that his life would be saved by the Mewman Princess and he would go on to have a civil conversation with her, he would have laughed at the absurdity. _Yet, here we are._

She was so…different than what he was expecting or any Mewman he had met before, for that matter. Thanks to the connections that come with the careers of his parents, he has been in contact with Mewmans from all classes and several different kinds of interdimensional beings over the years. Eclipsa stood out from her own kind and even other princesses, from her paler skin and darker cheek emblems to her unique feelings towards monsters. She was like a black hole that drew everyone to her as strongly as a gravitational pull.

Typical princesses didn't leave their castles at night to play in forests or help monsters, let alone make friends of them. She wasn't afraid. She didn't treat him like a savage or mindless beast. She didn't act like she was better than him. She treated him like an equal. He felt a warmth spread through his chest as he continued to watch her. For the first time in many years, he felt the budding of something suspiciously like hope beginning to form. Perhaps with Eclipsa as queen, there could be a brighter future for both Mewmans and Monsterkind. He liked this feeling. The distinct sound of the cage door shutting on the boulder snapped the young monster from his thoughts.

"There, let the daft, almighty hunters find evidence of a monster but no actual monster. Oh, I would pay to see their confused faces," Eclipsa giggled. Snookers let out a low rumble at her side.

The monster boy hid his pleased smirk at her comments by looking around the clearing and, noticing a carnivore blossom, walking over to it. He then placed his old, marred hand in front of the flower. The almost cone shaped, white and blue colored flower seemed to sense the meat and used its long vines to pick up the offering and place it in its awaiting, acid filling petals. He walked back over to Eclipsa and handed the now empty wrapper to her.

The girl crumpled the wrapper up before putting it in her right back trousers pocket that was reserved for empty wrappings. "I'll have a word with my mother about these cages. Perhaps I could plant the seed for getting rid of monster trophy hunting sooner rather than later." Eclipsa looked up and checked the time by the position of the moon, "There are still several hours left before dawn approaches. Would you like to continue our conversation in a part of the forest with less monster traps?"

His parents were still away on a work-related trip and would not be back until the middle of next week. If he were to return home now, it would be to a large, ancient and ornamental, yet empty house. Normally, that fact wouldn't bother him as he would just use the quiet to get lost in a novel or three. However, now the idea didn't seem as appealing as it once was. Not to mention how much lonelier his home is without his parents around. One would think he would be used to it by now considering how often their careers kept them away from home. The scaled boy clasped his clawed hands behind his back before he answered, "…Yes."

Eclipsa locked her grayish-purple eyes with yellow ones and directed a sly grin towards her monster companion, "I think you have me at a slight disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don't know who you are. What is your name?"

The monster tensed slightly, mindful to keep his face stoic, and inwardly braced himself for any form of negative reaction: mocking questions, laughter, jokes, questioning of his parents' sanity, even a stunned or awkward quiet. It would be fair to say he has received reactions along those lines from plenty of Mewmans and monsters outside of his species over the years. He forced his hands to unclench and rest relaxed at his sides. After a few more seconds, he finally answered, "Toffee…of Septarsis."

Eclipsa tilted her head to the side as she tested out his name, "Toffee." She straightened herself up before she reached into her left trousers pocket once again. Her smile never wavered as she said, "One of my _favourite_ kinds of sweets." She pulled out her last toffee cube and, without thought as to how her actions would be interpreted, surprised the boy yet again by grabbing his scaly hand and placing the candy into it.

Even through her thin gloves, she could feel the warmth of his hand and was silently stunned. It was not slimy or icy in the least. In fact, a Septarian's hand was the complete opposite to what her school books would have her believe. She noticed the dry, pebbly texture of his scales seemed to subtly change colours of blue, gray and silver depending on how much moonlight reached them. She wondered if they had a similar effect in daylight. To her, his hands looked and felt quite nice, beautiful even.

She felt a strong, uncontrollable heat rising to her cheeks, her spade emblems hot on her face. The girl quickly closed his fingers over the treat before releasing his hand. Fiddling nervously with a lock of her curly hair and tucking it behind her ear, she said without thinking, "I think the name suits you, it is the same colour as your eyes." _Oh, my stars! Why did I say that? Was I not born with a filter?_

Before Eclipsa could turn away in embarrassment or apologize for her weird words, and even weirder thoughts, it was the Septarian's turn to surprise her. He looked at his closed hand for a few moments before resting it against his chest and looking directly at the princess. For the first time since laying her eyes on Toffee, he graced her with a genuine smile. "Thank you, Princess."

The teal-haired girl was pleased to have at least one of her impulsive acts end with a positive outcome. That was not always the case, as Estelle liked to point out and criticize. Eclipsa returned his smile with one of her own, feeling a few small pieces of the wall being torn away. His smile did not make her heart race, not one bit. She ignored her bodily reactions as she responded, "Just call me Eclipsa."

Over an engaging conversation of literature, Eclipsa led Toffee and Snookers to another clearing with a small, clear creek and a fallen, leafless, non-spiky tree. The trunk was so bulky and thick Eclipsa doubted even Toffee could wrap his arms all the way around it. The bark of the tree was dark brown, smooth, and marbled with finely lined swirls, as if someone had taken a thin blade to the wood and carved out the design. From the weeds, grasses, and other plants growing up around it, the fallen tree was slowly being reclaimed by its fellow plants of the forest floor. Snookers walked over to the creek to take a drink while Eclipsa and Toffee sat down on the fallen tree, a respectable arm length apart.

"If you enjoy the work of Windfall," Toffee said, "I have a few other books you could borrow with a similar writing style. Although, they are categorized more in the fiction genre instead of the historical." He thought of his collection of books, wondering which ones would entice the lovely girl. Perhaps the one that takes place in Jaggy Mountains with the explorers or the one that takes place in a dimension with no magic but rather relies on science and technology to–

 _Wait, when did I start thinking of her as lovely?_ He shook his head to rid himself of those troubling thoughts and disregarded the odd flutter in his stomach.

"That would be delightful!" Eclipsa put a finger to her chin in thought, "I would have to think of new hiding places for these new books so they are not discovered. Windfall's book is hidden in a larger, hollowed-out book on my shelf. Sometimes, the best place to hide something is in plain sight." The girl let out a small giggle at the thought of hiding even more "forbidden books" in her room. She looked over at Toffee, giving him a playful wink, "All knowledge is good knowledge, as I like to say."

A corner of Toffee's mouth twitched ever so slightly, but he pulled back the little chuckle that wanted to escape. He liked how intellectually curious she was and her never-ending thirst for knowledge, even if that desire proved to be risky. It was a trait they had in common, after all. Acting on his intellectual desire, he said casually, "You certainly are a rebel princess. So, what are you doing out here alone at night?"

Feeling mischievous, Eclipsa widened her smile and made her voice take on an exaggerated rasp, "I'd love to tell you, but then you would have to die!" The princess lifted a gloved hand, arching it toward him in an almost claw-like fashion and hoping he caught her joke. Yellow eyes blinked rapidly at her several times and she caught a fleeting light of humor within them. She counted it as a victory.

Toffee bit his tongue to control the bubbling laughter that wanted to surface, like a pot of water on a stove about to boil over. To hear such an archaic, almost stock, dark joke come out of this tiny girl with an exaggerated version of her lightly accented voice was enough of a contrast to be very humorous. _And here I thought Mewmans didn't understand dark humor._ The Septarian decided to play along, placing a hand over his chest dramatically as he gasped, "My word, Eclipsa! That would be quite a feat, especially for immortal monsters such as myself," He leaned forward, lowering his voice as if he was a conspirator, "Does this mean you are on some classified mission?"

Eclipsa's voice returned to normal but with added liveliness that did not match her words, "No, I just feel like destroying things!"

Toffee smirked, showing his fangs. His tail tip curled slightly as he responded to continue the game, "Oh, what beautiful destruction you could cause! That reminds me of a story I heard recently. Destruction reigned over Garbage Beach the night a murder occurred. It happened in the child play area. The killer was confidant there were no witnesses to the crime. But the see-saw."

Eclipsa let out an explosive laugh, covering her mouth with her hand as her shoulders shook. She was thrilled to have finally met someone who understood her sense of humor. Toffee leaned back and snickered darkly, unable to control it after witnessing her unrestrained, blissful reaction. Aside from the tentative peace, there was not very much to be jolly about these days, so they both appreciated the respite. Their laughter slowly descended into small chuckles before they fell into silence.

Eclipsa held her ribs and aimed a bright smile at her new friend, "Thank you, Toffee. I haven't laughed like that in some time." The spade cheeked girl then primly placed her hands in her lap before she continued, "Now, going back to your previous question as to my reason for being out here. Being a princess involves rules and traditions to be followed, with busy timetables and commitments during the day. It can get overwhelming and I tend to overthink things and keep myself up at night, consequently negatively affecting my performance the next day. This is unacceptable for a Mewman Princess, who must always wear a mask of perfection for her subjects. I first started sneaking out because these private night walks helped calm my troubled mind and tire my body so that I may sleep better. These walks eventually transformed as a way for me to escape the pressures of royal life and relax. It's important to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the small things, like the feeling of a head scratch, the sight and smells of bleeding willow trees, or the taste of a scrumptious corn bar. Coming here, I'm not subjected to judgmental stares or seen as just a princess. I can be me."

Toffee noted how she framed her princess life as if it was a routine on stage and pondered if she was truly happy with her born into position. He understood about overthinking things as he had a habit of doing it at odd hours. He shrugged indifferently, tilting his head up to the night sky but slyly looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He kept his voice devoid of emotion as he said, "I imagine it's still better than the standard of living for most monsters. Some having to steal food to thwart off starvation, all having to look over our shoulders every time we go outside." He carefully watched her visage as she processed his words, attentive to keep his own impassive and his mind sharp, just like Father taught him.

Eclipsa turned her head to look out at the clearing and tree line beyond, noticing a few slow blinking lights of fireflies. Her mind supplied her with images of poor, hungry, and scared monster children, some younger than them, and her heart ached for them. Feeling scared in your own homeland...it is not right, Mewni was their home too. To be in a near constant state of heightened alertness was not good for one's development, no matter one's age or species. It was not fair and warranted change, drastic change! It was moments like this in which she longed for time to move faster so she could become queen. Alas, until that day comes she must be content with the influence she has now.

 _Maybe I could organize some charity event for monsters, it could build a positive bridge between Mother and the various monster leaders. Perhaps the Lucitor Family…would they even want to interact considering their current isolationist policies? Are demons even considered monsters? Is there a difference? I wonder what their fashion is like?_ She then thought of the types of colourful, bright dresses she would be forced to wear at such an event. Not that she had any problems with dresses, she just preferred ones with darker shades and black. So much black. That recalled to mind the many balls and events she has had to go to as Princess of Mewni. She frowned, "Being told where to go and how to dress. With everyone in the family having these great expectations."

Toffee nodded, turning his head to look at the curly haired girl more fully. Her lips were turned down in a frown. He decided he liked her smile better. The Septarian understood bearing the pressures of family. The expectations of his own affluent and influential family weighed on his shoulders. He was thankful for the little freedoms he did have. _Though, when you're born into a system that is stacked against you, no matter your family income, you take what you can get._ The boy kept his voice calm and detached as he said, "Being born into a system with little opportunity to advance." He looked away from the girl, watching Snookers chase a firefly. He pondered if he could follow in his sister's footsteps with the military route once he finished his schooling. He could help other monsters with his technological talents and make his parents proud.

Eclipsa shook her head, her frown deepening, "Not feeling like you can make your own choices in life. Feeling like you're…"

Toffee's clawed fingers twitched ever so slightly at his sides as he thought about the appalling inequality of their system, "It's like you're…"

"Trapped."

The Mewman and Septarian, realizing they said the same thing, descended into silence. They met each other's eyes and smiled.

Eclipsa felt slightly larger chunks of the wall falling away, as if she could see his face on the other side and give him a smile to brighten his day. She wanted to continue to bring smiles to his blue-gray face. He didn't smile enough, in her opinion. The girl moved closer to Toffee, cutting their distance in half and never taking her large, grayish-purple eyes off him. She was truly impressed by his emotional control when talking about oppression, something she could not do with a cool head. "What about you? Why are you here?"

"This forest is one of the few places monsters can go with little chance of encountering Mewmans. One must be mindful of possible traps. Today was not a good day for me," Toffee shifted uncomfortably as he thought back to being in that dreadful cage. He had not been as aware of his surroundings as he should have been, so lost in his thoughts, thus resulting in falling into the trap before he realized what had happened. If he told his parents about the incident, they would sandwich him between their arms and tails for an indeterminate amount of time, before they would make their disappointment known and no doubt give him a good verbal lashing. He certainly learned his lesson without the need for a lecture. The conversation would eventually lead to questions about his escape, which he would rather not answer. It would be best to keep it to himself. "Can you blame me for wanting to spend time in a place most Mewmans wouldn't dare set foot in?"

Eclipsa's voice came out in a whisper as she gazed at his reserved face, "No."

"I admit, I wasn't expecting a Mewman kid to be out here. You're not like most Mewman kids I've met. You are quite…" Toffee paused, thinking of the right word that would not offend the girl with the much higher social class, "Peculiar."

Eclipsa shrugged nonchalantly, "I get that a lot. Not everyone says it with such carefully chosen words, sometimes their words can be cruel." The words freak, abnormal, deviant, and black sheep were some that came to her mind. She was thankful to have Mewmans and Mewnians in her life to counteract those words, like her mother and her princess friends Willow and Natasha from the Johansen and Waterfolk Kingdoms respectively. Well, her friends accepted her for the most part. Eclipsa was convinced there was a thing or two about her that even mystified Willow and Natasha.

"Then they are fools," Toffee leaned over closer to Eclipsa and gave her a smirk, "Your peculiarity is an admirable quality."

Eclipsa felt her heart rate tick up, reminding her of the buzzing wings of a baboon-faced bee, "Th-thank you. I'm fond of many of your qualities too. Like your tail! What do you use it for?"

Toffee returned to his personal space bubble and looked back at his now relaxed tail, flicking the tip twice. "Thank you. We use them for a few things. Expressing emotion, body language, balance, and, if its long enough, grabbing things."

Toffee demonstrated this by wrapping his tail around Eclipsa's waist. The hold was not too tight or too loose. He savored the warmth he could feel spreading throughout his coils that emanated from her mammalian body. To the eyes of Mewmans and even most species of monsters, the touch was innocent, friendly at the most. To other Septarians, it was forward, smitten, a clear demonstration of courtship intent. However, there were no other Septarians in the dark forest. There was only Toffee and the small, exhibitionist thrill he acquired in the misunderstood intimacy of the gesture.

He resisted the urge to tug her closer to him to get even more of her natural warmth as well as a reaction out of her. Such a bold combination of actions would not be viewed as appropriate between new friends and would be clear to even Mewman social mores. Though it was a tempting thought. The one time he saw her pink flush this evening provided a pretty background for her spade cheek emblems, one he would not mind seeing again. He did not understand why. Perhaps because she was just so fun to tease and he enjoyed talking with her. She was very easy to talk to.

Eclipsa giggled, resting her gloved hands on the scaly, blue-gray skin. The hold was secure yet not constricting. The muscles that made up his tail were firm yet comfortable. Despite her gloves and the stationary position of her hands, she could feel the scales change in size the closer they were to the base of the tail. The sentimental and spontaneous parts of her longed to remove her cloth barriers to caress the surface of his skin, to feel the details of his scales. The logical and social etiquette parts of her acknowledged that such behavior would be far too intimate and not appropriate between new friends.

Toffee slowly uncoiled his tail from around the girl's waist and she could feel the coarse texture of the scales even through her gloves as the appendage moved. Once their physical contact was broken, she felt a sense of loss. _Stop it Eclipsa! It's not right to have such thoughts about new friends, let alone one who is a monster!_

Eclipsa's mind took her back to her twelfth birthday party only a few months ago. She and her closest friends had a sleepover and had been dressed in their nightclothes. Eclipsa and her friends Willow, Natasha, and Prince Comet of the Cloud Kingdom of the Pony Heads were sitting comfortably on colourful, feather stuffed pillows in the Fine Arts Room. It was a hexagon shaped room in the castle dedicated to and for the performance of various art forms. The acoustics were superb so it also doubled as a rehearsal space. It was usually reserved for private performances.

Reflections could be seen in the polished, white tiled floor. The high, dome-like ceiling was painted with clouds, stars, and planets. On each wall of the room was a mural representing various performing art forms: musical notes and musicians playing their instruments for music, court jesters for comedy, black and white painted mimes, ballerinas for dance, paper and feather quills for poetry and literature, and thespians on a stage for theatre and tragedy.

Eclipsa and her friends were watching a play on a small stage located in the center of the room. The Mewman players were dressed in lavish costumes and spoke dramatic dialogue. The play was also accompanied by a small orchestra of enchanted instruments that would play themselves. It told the story of a brave princess rescuing her love interest, a kind prince, from an evil monster and his minions. As if Eclipsa hadn't already seen or read several stories with a similar plot.

However, her guests had seemed to be enjoying it. Natasha, lounging in her portable pool and dressed in her baggy, white and purple sleeping shirt with the emblem of her Waterfolk Kingdom, would laugh and flick her light blue and seafoam green mermaid tail whenever the princess character would say something snarky. Willow, with her flaming red hair in its usual braids and dressed in her pale green and pink sleeveless shirt and shorts, was excited for the climatic monster battle. The Johansens were a clan of warriors who have proven to be valuable allies to the Butterflys in times of conflict. Willow had recently started her training so her excitement for more action was understandable. Comet, being the hopeless romantic that he was, squealed over the love story and wanted to know how the princess and prince would resolve their conflict, the ever-present yellow stars in his amber tinted eyes lighting up. While her friends were gushing over the prince, Eclipsa found him to be generic and boring.

When the monster antagonist named Argus finally made his appearance, the other young royals booed while Eclipsa admired the intricate detail of the monster costume. He was tall and muscular with pointed ears. His skin looked smooth and was dark red in colour with a few darker stripes. He wore nothing but a brown loincloth around his waist to illustrate his primitive ways. He had long, white hair with purple tips, two sharp, white horns atop his head, and four yellow eyes. He had clawed hands and when he smirked, his fangs gleamed with a light meant to be malicious. To Eclipsa, however, he looked good, splendid really.

As Argus spoke his lines, he moved in a way that portrayed his confidence and power. Eclipsa began to wonder what brought him to this point. Why did he send his underlings to kidnap the prince? Did his family once do something to Argus' family and he was seeking his own form of justice? As the monster and the princess interacted, Eclipsa's mind spun with other possibilities. How much more interesting would this story be if the princess fell in love with Argus? A monster like that could pick her up in his strong arms as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. _I wouldn't object to being held in arms like his!_

Eclipsa felt an intense warmth rise to her spade cheeks and her mouth suddenly became as dry as a desert. She clutched her pale hands together in her lap in attempt to hide their trembling. Her stomach decided it was a good time to do summersaults as she felt waves of confusion washing over her. She wanted to say something, something cool. She cleared her throat and said in a voice that did not expose her erratic feelings, "Woah, is it hot in here or is it just Argus."

Her friends froze and they had abruptly become eerily quiet. They all held expressions of disgust, as if they had been told to clean the animal stables. They regarded Eclipsa as if she had suddenly grown a second head. The play continued in the background.

Eclipsa looked down at her lap, hands seizing into the dreadful pastel blue and pink fabric of her sleeping gown. She bit her lip as she felt a stone of dread make a home in her stomach. No one said a word or seemed to move an inch. Eclipsa closed her eyes and vehemently wished she could take the words back. The atmosphere had been awkward and tense, almost oppressive.

Natasha had placed a hand on her scaly hip and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Comet had floated slightly closer to Eclipsa and tilted his scarlet furred head, his eyes wide with concern, "Are you feeling okay?"

Willow had scoffed, "Eclipsa, that's weird."

 _Idiot! Why did I say that? I've said something wrong! Of course, they would look at you like you're crazy; this tentative peace has only lasted two years and some months! That's like a blink of an eye compared to the many years of fighting! Why did I say that?_ Thinking quickly, Eclipsa had laughed with a smile that was a little too forced and said, "Oh come on, I was just kidding."

The others laughed with her, the tension faded away, and they all continued watching the play.

Eclipsa learned two things that night. One, harboring any kind of attraction or romantic feelings towards monsters were dirty, wrong, and gross. Two, secrets were necessary for survival.

 _Something is seriously wrong with me! I'm a freak…a weirdo. My impulse control is nearly nonexistent! Maybe I could use some form of positive punishment to-_

A rough hand on her shoulder broke the teal-haired girl from her memories and downward spiral. She turned to see Toffee gazing at her with what looked like concern in his yellow eyes.

"Eclipsa? Are you all right? You were looking so pensive and biting your lip with so much force, I thought you were going to make yourself bleed." Toffee decided not to mention how he had been observing her as she was absorbed in her thoughts.

Toffee had watched her eyes focus on the tree line across the clearing and then glaze over. Her brows furrowed before she seemed to draw into herself, wrapping her arms tightly around her middle. She then moved her gloved hands up and down her dark purple covered arms, as if she was trying to generate warmth. His eyes had been drawn to her lips when she began worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. While he did think of blood, a miniscule part of him also speculated how those very different Mewman teeth would feel against his neck scales. Purely for science, of course. He wondered what she was thinking about that would cause the eccentric girl such obvious distress. He wanted to comfort her, to wrap his tail around her again, hold her, and share body warmth. However, he didn't want his Septarian soothing instincts to be lost in translation, thus frightening her, and sending her into the flight or fight instinct. Instead, he had settled for a hand on the shoulder.

Eclipsa released her swore bottom lip from her teeth, not even realizing she had been biting it. She was thankful for his calm presence and controlled worry. "I'm okay, just thinking about how weird I am." That wasn't a complete lie.

Toffee removed his hand from her shoulder as he replied, "We are all a little weird, wouldn't you say?"

Eclipsa unwrapped her arms from around herself and gave him a weak smile, "You won't hear any argument from me there."

Snookers suddenly let out a low rumble and his ears twitched. A few seconds later, Toffee heard the familiar sound of large monster feet approaching their clearing. He scented the air and instantly recognized the smell of a longtime family friend. The Septarian swiftly stood up before offering the girl his hand, "I hear a large monster coming this way. It would be wise to stand closer to the tree line so we are not trampled."

Eclipsa accepted his hand and stood up before calling Snookers over. The spiky animal leapt into the girl's arms with his ears and quills pinned down. Together, they walked over to the very edge of the clearing and waited. The footsteps were growing louder and louder until even Eclipsa could hear them and the ground shook underneath their feet.

A few moments later, a large, brown, furry foot landed in the clearing, completely flattening the tree they were previously sitting on. Toffee smiled politely as he called up, "Good evening Uncle Larry! How are Toby and Matilda?"

Eclipsa looked up at the monster with wide-eyed awe and interest. The tops of the trees came up to his thin waistline and he wore dark work trousers and a dark blue, long sleeved shirt under a short sleeved, red shirt. His brown fur was curly and thick, covering most of his body. The only places that didn't seemed to be covered in fur and revealed his wrinkly gray skin were his hands and face. He had three glowing blue eyes and a long trunk in the middle of his face that came down to just above his chin. On top his head he wore a black fedora. Eclipsa had never seen such an enormous monster before and she mused where monsters of his size possibly live.

Uncle Larry greeted the other monster with a wide grin and a wiggle of his fingers, "Hey there, Toffee. The kids are great! Toby's taking a cooking class and Matilda has recently gotten into wrestling. In fact, she wants to know when you and your parents will visit again so she can challenge you to a match." His voice was very friendly and jovial. It was also much more high pitched then what Eclipsa would have expected from such a large kind of monster.

Toffee nodded, "I'll be sure to wear protective clothing. Even with my regeneration, she could easily crush my bones."

Larry chuckled and rested a hand on his hip before he asked, "So, what are you doing out here? Taking another one of your brooding night strolls?"

Toffee motioned to Eclipsa with his tail, "Just spending time with a new friend."

Eclipsa grinned at being introduced as Toffee's friend, feeling a pleasant warmth spread from her chest to the rest of her body. She liked being with him and hoped this friendship could grow so strong, it lasts for the remainder of their lives.

Larry looked at Eclipsa, as if just now registering her presence, and all three of his eyes went wide, "Wait…you're the Mewman Princess?"

Eclipsa nodded, her voice temporarily being locked away by nerves.

"And you hang out with monsters," Larry continued, "Did someone drop you on your head as a baby?"

Eclipsa promptly looked away, curling in on herself slightly with Snookers snuggling up to her under her chin. He then began making small grunting noises of consolation. Eclipsa slightly tightened her hold on her secret friend, mindful of his flattened quills and thankful for his warmth.

Toffee immediately took note of her discomfort and turned to the other monster with a frown. He kept his voice pragmatic and civil, "Now Uncle Larry, that wasn't very polite. We all have our different interests and passions. How would you feel if someone equated your fondness and collection of ceramic warnicorns to a childhood head trauma?"

The furry monster rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and seemed to shift his weight. His two bottom eyes looked away while his top third remained on Toffee, "Yeah…not very good. You're right, Toffee. You are your parents' son," He then turned all of this eyes to Eclipsa and bowed his head contritely, "I'm very sorry, Your Highness. Please, I beg your forgiveness for my ignorance."

Eclipsa momentarily glanced at Toffee before she looked up at the giant monster. His sincere apology and body language encouraged her voice to return, "It's okay, I'm not offended. I know I'm weird." A part of her wanted to know more about his warnicorn collection.

Larry grinned down at her, "Perhaps you could use it to your advantage as you get older, Your Highness. Like building bridges and making allies."

Eclipsa smirked, "I like the way you think, good sir."

"Thanks! Ya know, I can already tell you're going to make for one interesting and memorable queen," Larry said with a wider grin, "Well, I best be getting along. Got to make it home from my night shift before sunrise. Good evening, Your Highness." He formally bowed to Eclipsa, lifting his trunk-like nose and using it to tip his fedora for added flourish. It made the young Princess smile. Larry then turned to Toffee.

"I would appreciate it, Uncle Larry," Toffee said, his face serious, "If you did not mention to anyone else about seeing the Princess here. It would be more beneficial to her if these secret night walks remained secret."

Larry nodded, "Understood. Far be it for me to put a damper on a new friendship of yours. Gods know you need more friends. I'll see ya around, kiddo. Stay safe and alert. When your parents get back from their trip, tell them we should all have twilight meal at my place."

Toffee nodded with a smile, "Certainly! Stay safe and alert, Uncle Larry!"

With a final wave, Larry took a few large steps and was out of sight.

Eclipsa waited until they no longer felt Larry's footsteps before she turned to Toffee, "Thank you…for what you said."

"It's no trouble," Toffee said, glancing at her, "Uncle Larry can be blunt sometimes, but he means well."

"Are you two truly blood related?" Eclipsa asked, her eyes were wide and her mind whirled with questions about monster genetics.

Toffee chuckled slightly, "No, but Larry and my father have been friends for a very long time so he has known me since I was a fledgling. He's like family."

"How does he fit inside your house?" Eclipsa asked as she placed Snookers on the ground at her feet.

"He doesn't. We go to his house."

Eclipsa's mind gave her an image of Larry and his children, with their smaller furry bodies and face trunks, sitting at their large dining table that was proportionate to their size. On top of that table was a much smaller table and chairs seating Toffee and his parents, she imagined them with blue-gray skin like his and dressed in elegant evening clothes. The extreme size difference was enough to make the young girl giggle.

Larry's words of his night shift and sunrise reminded Eclipsa to be aware of the time. She looked up at the sky and by its slightly lighter coloration and not as many stars, realized the sun will be rising within a few hours. She looked over at Toffee and said with reluctance, "I should be getting back to the castle now. The decoy in my bed won't be so successful in fooling my handmaidens when the sun rises."

Toffee did not feel a sudden pang of disappointment upon hearing their time together must end. He quickly shifted his focus to prolong their time together for as long as he could. He nodded, "I understand, Eclipsa. If I may, perhaps I can escort you to the edge of the forest?"

Eclipsa smirked, "I would like that, provided you don't fall into another monster trap."

Toffee returned her smirk, "Perish the thought." He then formally offered the girl his elbow.

Eclipsa happily slipped her arm around his, dutifully ignoring the flutter in her stomach when she felt his well-defined muscles through his clothing. Together, they made their way through the forest with Snookers loyally following.

As they walked, their conversation spanned many topics but nothing too personal or too political. They talked about performance art, favorite foods, even geometry and mathematics. At some point, they found out each other's very different names for the forest they were currently walking through. Eclipsa liked the Monsterkind given name better as it made more sense to her, considering the several different species of plant-like monsters that reside in the forest. Toffee and Eclipsa agreed on some things, disagreed on others. Even when they disagreed or had different ideas about something, it made for an interesting and enchanting conversation.

For example, when talking about mathematics, Toffee shared his thoughts, with supporting evidence from his species' highly advanced mathematics and physics, that with the right calculations and dimensional scissors, inter-dimensional space travel could be possible and with it comes contact with new, alien life forms. The odds of more intelligent alien life to be discovered in the multiverse were too high, after all. Eclipsa's expressive, grayish-purple eyes shown brighter than they had all night as he talked. He spoke with confidence and passion, even gesturing with his tail a few times. She loved hearing snippets of his culture interwoven with his unique, brilliant ideas. She wanted to learn so much more and sincerely wished they had more time. Their conversations this evening have been the most exhilarating she had in some time. He was exhilarating.

Eclipsa then shared her thoughts about how such a goal could also theoretically be achieved with a combination of magic and specific numbers attached to multiple coinciding events. It could even be possible to enlist the help of Omnitraxus Prime. She spoke with elegance and passion, practically radiating her brilliance as she did her own calculations and made connections. Toffee found it mesmerizing to watch, even as his mouth grew dry and he had to swallow thickly. It was rare for Toffee to find someone within his age range, who was not Septarian, this intellectually stimulating. The lizard-like monster found himself with little control of his body so he allowed himself a moment to indulge in it. He felt his heart rate speeding up and blood pumping to the scales along his neck, spine and tail to darken them. Peeking slightly behind him, Toffee found his tail color to be more on the darker spectrum of gray and the tip to be curled into a perfect spiral, loudly proclaiming his excitement and happiness for all Septarians to see. He was thankful no other Septarians were around.

All too soon, the three friends found themselves at the edge of the Forest of Certain Death/Forest of Sentient Flora with a few of the highest towers of Butterfly Castle in their line of vision. The grassy field between the forest and the castle was covered in a sea of red flowers. Each blossom had four petals and a lighter center, grown so close together it was impossible to see the earthy ground from which they sprang. The silvery light of the moon and what remained of the stars bathed them with a pale, almost ethereal glow. The blooms were tall enough to tickle their ankles and blanketed them with their sweet scent.

 _They may not be roses, but they are still quite lovely,_ Eclipsa thought as she gazed at the meadow with a tiny smile.

"I have every much enjoyed our time together," Toffee said as he unwound his arm from Eclipsa's, "It is my hope we can meet again."

Eclipsa's grin widened, "We better, I want to read that book you were telling me about with the explorers in the mountains. Oh, and any book about your culture would also be wonderful. You are part of such a fascinating and impressive species of monster."

Toffee straightened his shoulders, feeling a swell of pride at her words, "Yes, yes we are. I will see what I can find." He would have to make sure his choices would not contain any information that could potentially be exploited in the future to further dwindle their population.

Eclipsa crouched down to give Snookers a gentle head scratch between the ears, "Goodbye, Snookers. I'll see you again soon."

Toffee took that as an opportunity to check the status of his body. After Eclipsa's stimulating display of logical-mathematical intelligence, Toffee had quickly steered the conversation to how the girl met Snookers. It turned out to be a story both interesting and depressing. It had also given him sufficient time for his heart to settle and muscles to relax. The scales along the back of his neck, spine and even his tail were no longer dark in color. His tail tip was still curled in happiness. Relief enveloped him in its embrace, thankful Eclipsa didn't seem to notice anything amiss. _Curse you, teenage hormones!_

As the girl stood back up, she lifted her black hood to once again obscure her hair and face. "By the way, I really like your fashion sense. Is it traditional in your culture?"

Toffee placed his hands behind his back before he answered, "What I'm wearing currently is more a culmination of traditional and modern, a bridging of the old and new, if you will."

Eclipsa smiled, "I think there's a little truth in that."

Toffee's eyes strayed to the flowers for a few seconds and noticed Snookers now standing at the edge of the bed on his haunches to sniff them, before he looked back at Eclipsa, "Thank you. I also have a few suits in my closet, much to the pride of my father."

Eclipsa took a step closer to him, her eyes locked onto his, "I think you would look marvelous in a suit."

Toffee chuckled, showing his fangs. He liked it when she was so forward. "You think so, do you?" Without taking his eyes off her, he walked past the tree line, stopping to stand next to Snookers. "I'm inclined to agree."

Eclipsa followed to stand a few paces behind him, his back facing her, "Meet back here in a week? Same time?"

Toffee looked ahead of him at the flower sea and was silent. Eclipsa noticed the spiral formation of his tail and bit the inside of her cheek to hold in any cooing sounds she wanted to make at the delightful display. If she remembered her reading, it was related to being relaxed and feeling positive emotions. There were not many positive emotions felt during a first-person account of several battles, especially from a species which prides itself on the control of emotions and the embrace of logic. However, when the few bright spots did happen, the Septarians were always described with curled tails. Most of these small moments of happiness occurred when family members were reunited. For Septarians, family is everything. _In that way, not so unlike Mewmans._

Toffee finally looked back at her over his shoulder and nodded, "I await with baited breath."

Though not completely gone, Eclipsa felt enormous chunks of the wall falling away. Perhaps even the first few stones for the bridge falling into place. She smirked, "Try to stay out of trouble until then, okay?"

"I give you my word," Toffee said with another nod, returning her smirk with one of his own.

The Septarian then crouched down next to Snookers, reaching out a relaxed hand. Snookers turned towards him, sat down, and flickered his lavender eyes between the hand and the calm face. He then sniffed the hand a few times with his black, triangle shaped nose before he lowered his ears and leaned his head into Toffee's hand. The Septarian was very thankful to this little one and he wanted to make sure Snookers understood it. As he gently scratched and met intelligent, comprehending, lilac eyes, he whispered in his native language, " _Thank you for coming to my aid and hearing my screams of pain after my fleeting lapse in logic, which led to my emotionally impulsive action. I shudder to think what would have happened to me if you had not heard me. You are a good friend and I am in your debt. If you need anything, you can find me in the mountains, Northeast_."

Snookers let out a low chirp in response, indicating their comradery as monsters. He then directed a trusting, slow blink at Toffee and nodded his head, understanding the ancient language.

Eclipsa found the language of Septarsis both beautiful and fascinating as it incorporated sounds of hisses and clicks along with their words. The almost lyrical vocalizations were fluid, graceful, slightly harsh, and wholly reptilian. She understood their written language well enough, and even understood a few words Toffee spoke to Snookers like 'logic' and 'friend,' but speaking the language was another challenge entirely. He spoke numerous words and made gestures with his tail the girl didn't know, yet yearned to learn. She wondered if there was a spell in the Book of Spells that could give the castor a monster appendage. She would give herself a Septarian tail and attempt to learn the enchanting language. Her tongue may be too Mewman for it, but that possibility didn't diminish her desire to at least try.

Once Toffee had finished petting Snookers, he grasped one of the green stems from the edge of the field and plucked a single red flower from it before he stood back up. He turned back around to look at Eclipsa and switched back to Standard, "Thank you for a most pleasant evening, Eclipsa." He walked closer to stand within arm's reach of her and brought the flower in-between their faces. Eclipsa felt the need to remove her hood to be polite, so she acted on that instinct. Their eyes remained locked on the flower.

When Toffee spoke again, his voice was soft and tender, "Four, the number of petals on this flower, the number of sides of a square. In my culture, squares are related to stability. From my understanding of our earlier conversation, in both our cultures four is associated with order and completion of justice. A perfect gift for a future queen who wants justice for my kind."

Flattered, Eclipsa leaned in slightly closer and breathed in the sweet-smelling blossom. She beamed and met his bright yellow eyes that seemed to light up the not-so-scary forest. She allowed herself a moment to get lost in them. They were half-lidded and intense, like two glittering pools of golden magic from the Sanctuary. She couldn't decipher his emotions, or even if he was feeling anything at all, and his tail was completely hidden by his body so it was of no help. Are all Septarians this difficult to read? Without breaking eye contact, Toffee tucked the bloom behind the curve of her ear, claws carded gently through her long, curly hair as they did.

Toffee's half-lidded eyes flickered between the flower and Eclipsa's cheeks. He smiled and leaned in closer to her, his voice soft, "In color, the flower perfectly matches your cheek emblems and is quite alluring. You take my breath away."

Eclipsa felt the blush flood her cheeks because of his words. She didn't bother to hide it. When she spoke, her voice was soft, "Thank you."

Toffee felt pride at being able to see her sweet blush one more time before they parted ways. The spades were surrounded by a dusting of light red, as if surrounded by the blood of enemies. He observed as it spread from her face to her throat all the way to the high neckline of her blouse. _Ravishing._ It brought to mind the symbolism of the spade shape in his culture and its association with intellect, darkness, and death. With those traits, she has the potential to be an unstoppable force and a source of change. Oh, what beautiful chaos she could bring to Mewni. Being in such close physical proximity, he resisted the instinctual urge to flick his tongue out and taste her scent. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, even if the thought of seeing her squirm was mildly amusing. Even without his tongue, his keen Septarian snout could still pick up a few details of her smell. Her natural Mewman scent was intermingled with the sweet aroma of chocolate and the spicy fragrance of a willow tree. He breathed in and out slowly, wanting to imprint the pleasing scent into his reptilian brain. It was intoxicating and dangerous, rather fitting for its owner.

Before the Septarian could do or say anything thoughtless, he forced himself to take a few steps back and placed his hands behind his back. He bowed his head slightly to her, his smile never wavering, "Good day, Eclipsa. I look forward to our next meeting."

Eclipsa smiled, bowing her head to him respectfully in return as the rosiness in her cheeks and throat began to retreat. She then lifted her black hood to obscure her face, hair, and flower before she replied, "As do I. Good day, Toffee."

Without another word or backwards glance, Eclipsa walked through the flower meadow in the direction of her castle. Toffee strolled back to the tree line, turned around, and stood in the shadows with Snookers at his side. They both watched her go. Toffee slipped his left hand into his left pants pocket and grasped the unopened, cube shaped toffee candy Eclipsa had given him. There were no words to adequately describe his feelings toward her reaction to his name and her gifting of the treat. A positive or no questions asked reaction was rare when he introduced himself to another species.

Even Mossi and Dossi had typical reactions when hearing his name for the first time. Mossi, the mostly green head on the right, had laughed, lifting their right hand to cover their snickering while Dossi, the mostly purple head on the left, had simply asked, "Do your parents hate you?" Toffee would then come to the defense of his parents. By the time he came along, Caramel was away fighting in the war so some of his earliest memories were of just him and his parents.

The Septarians are a very ancient, intelligent, and proud race of monsters. Thus, Taffy and Coffee had put careful thought into his name, wanting it to have traditional Septarian roots. They wanted the name to carry their hopes, expectations and, most of all, love for the owner of the name. A portmanteau of both of their names was the perfect solution. Moreover, many Septarians like wordplay and his parents were no exception. Some may view that as egotism on his parents' part but he viewed it differently. In his eyes, the name was given to him as an expression of the deep, long-lasting love between his parents. Despite all the aggravation, he liked his name and did not feel the need to change it. He certainly had no desire to change it just to make it fit into the limited mold of the Mewman tongue. Although, having a nickname to go by would certainly not be a bad idea.

Eclipsa had not laughed or insulted his parents when she heard his name. She had accepted it and moved on. Her kooky gift and sincere compliment combination had taken Toffee so off guard, that he physically had difficulty responding to her for a few moments. When he finally thanked her in that moment he felt, among the swirling vortex of emotions, gratitude and a deep, overwhelming need to talk with her until the sun came up. _Perhaps that was when I started thinking of her as lovely, in every sense of the word._ Toffee ran his thumb along one of the treat's edges, taking a small comfort from its familiar, geometric angles. This was one piece of candy he would not be eating anytime soon.

A low rumble at his side broke the Septarian boy from his thoughts, startling him so much that his tail sprung out of its spiral formation to form a straight line. He turned to look at Snookers. The spiky animal looked up at him and gave him a slow blink. Toffee returned the goodbye gesture and gave him a small nod. Snookers then turned around and walked back into the forest.

Toffee turned and headed Northeast in the direction of the mountains, his face and relaxed tail betraying nothing of his racing thoughts or mixed, chaotic feelings. The clawed grip on the candy cube rarely faltered as he made his long trek home. The Septarian boy was not sure where this newfound, unexpected friendship would take him but he was willing to find out. He must exercise caution, keep his mind alert, and heart hardened going forward in this venture. If he were honest with himself, he was not sure how successful he will be with the latter, especially if the lovely girl continued to make him smile like she did tonight. It had been so long since anyone or anything made him smile and laugh with genuine mirth. _But she is still a Butterfly, directly of the lineage that stole my ancestral homeland._ The homeland of his parents and grandparents, who were all alive and fighting when Septarsis fell.

It will be a difficult relationship to maintain, to say the least. It would have to remain secret, for now, lest there be outrage on both sides. The wrongs of the ancestors are not always inherited to the children. This most recent decedent of the line, and to some extent her mother, seemed to want to right those wrongs. It was clear to Toffee, however, that Eclipsa wanted to take it even further. It will be most interesting to see how that will play out in the coming years, particularly when Eclipsa is addressed as queen. The boy sent a quick prayer in his mother tongue to his ancestors, to Caramel, for emotional strength and control. He had a suspicion he will need it.

He could just imagine his parents' reactions to the news of their now only child having a Mewman Princess for a friend. If he were to tell them, it would be a few years from now after he had formulated a carefully laid out plan of action and strategy. Such precautions were necessary when dealing with such delicate and volatile subject matter. He would wait until the three of them were in Temple, surrounded by relics of their once great civilization and after paying tribute to their powerful ancestry. In such a setting, Coffee, with his black hair slicked back and dressed in his dark blue, wrinkleless suit and dark red ascot, and Taffy, dressed in her seafoam green dress with its traditional Septarian pattern, matching feather boa, and little hat, would be more likely to listen to logic and scheming.

There would still be emotional reactions, it would be impossible not to, but they would be much more subdued. Coffee's normally stone gray skin would temporarily take on an ashy hue and Taffy's light blue tail would momentarily twitch in aggravation. Their eyes would flicker with shock, confusion, anger, and concern in the span of twenty seconds before their eyes and entire faces would settle into twin impassive masks. They were the ones who taught him everything he knows about emotional control and the importance of logic, and he would use their lessons to appeal to their sense of logic. He would explain how having a future queen on their side would result in better qualities of life for all monsters and how she was already doing what she could to help monsters. He would go into detail about her intellect, ambitions, and her thirst for knowledge, which are all admirable qualities from a Septarian's point of view. He would like to think he could convince his politically influential parents that forming a strong, long-term alliance with Eclipsa would be the key to lasting peace in Mewni.

Toffee knew it would take time and much convincing, their entire civilization was nearly wiped out, after all. However, the three of them understood that what remains of their kind have seen enough death and suffering to last a million lifetimes. If necessary, he would even go into detail about how Eclipsa saved his life. He was certain if he could not convince his parents of her benevolent intensions towards them with any other facts, illuminating that little fact would, at last, put her in their good graces. Eclipsa could be an important piece in the continuing, ever present conflict on the chessboard that is Mewni, a true game changer. She could mean the difference between their kind enduring on the fringes and thriving in the open.

Nevertheless, what transpired this evening will certainly be an interesting story to share with Getan. Fortunately, the big guy could keep secrets, particularly since he currently couldn't say a single word without it coming out as an unintelligible hiss and growl combination. Once all male Septarians reach a certain age, their voices go through a physiological change that will follow them into adulthood, usually transforming into deeper ones. Toffee had gone through his last year so Getan was right on schedule. The dark red Septarian should have four days left of forced silence, which should be just enough time for Toffee to convince Getan that forming a friendship and alliance with the future queen of Mewni, a genuine monster sympathizer, could be beneficial to all Monsterkind in the future.

As Eclipsa walked through the flower field, her small smile rarely left her hood covered face. The flower was a comforting weight behind her ear as she thought about the special, secret places in her room she could store the gift. She will dry it out and keep it close to her heart, perhaps hidden under her bed or in her wardrobe. It could be a source of comfort during the challenging years ahead of her. She would never forsake it or the trust it represented. The princess wondered fleetingly if Toffee would keep her gift to him. She shook her head at the ridiculous thought. No, he would eat it because it was nothing more than food to him. Toffee was a Septarian, belonging to one of the most logical and intelligent species of monsters in Mewni. Surely he wouldn't get caught up in sentimentality.

 _It is that very intellect and his Septarian perspective that would make him a valuable member of my future council of advisors as queen. Oh, the collars that will ruffle!_ A monster on Queen Eclipsa's council! The scandal! There was a part of her that enjoyed the thought of causing such chaos and watching their flawed system burn. Realistically, she viewed the possibility as highly unlikely. However, there are several years left before she inherits the crown, perhaps attitudes would change in a more positive direction by that time. She could do her part to inch them in that direction. Who knows what the future holds? Well, except Glossaryck. He knows, but he's not always helpful or willing to share. She was confidant even he wouldn't care for her friendships with monsters, particularly Toffee.

There were few who would approve, if any at all, of such relationships. Yet, despite that, the Mewman girl found herself willing to dive head-first into this lake of friendship with all the social taboos and cultural differences attached. She found Toffee far too mysterious and interesting not to. She felt a connection between them and she wanted to expand upon that. The spade cheeked girl felt as if there was a long, black thread linking them, each end tied to their middle finger and allowing them to see eye to eye. They could learn so much from each other. He challenged her like no one else has. He accepted her without judgement. He didn't see her as broken or as someone in need of fixing. Even though he was so difficult to read, he seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. As a monster, he had no obligation or loyalty to her crown to do any of those things. Yet he did, and treated her like a person instead of just a princess. All of it meant more to her then words could possibly describe.

Eclipsa was not sure where her new friendship will lead her but she wanted to find out. She already felt excitement at the prospect of their next meeting. The princess imaged the two of them back in the forest, sitting under a bleeding willow tree and exchanging books. She thought of herself a few years down the line, with wand and dimensional scissors in hand, whisking Toffee away for amazing and fun inter-dimensional adventures. The young girl didn't like the thought of keeping her friendship with Toffee secret but she understood it was necessary, for now. She also understood keeping the relationship would be difficult and would be frowned upon in many Mewman and Monsterkind circles but she was determined to keep this new connection strong, if Toffee was as well.

She wanted their connection to grow and strengthen the black thread well into their adult years, after she had already inherited the wand and crown, written her own chapter in the Book of Spells, and learned how to dip down. She wanted to surpass Estelle Healer of Land and Sunniva the Bright in power and was determined to become the most magically powerful queen from the Butterfly family yet. With such magic comes respect and freedom, no one could stop her from doing what she wanted. This included being friends with monsters as well as her secret, hypothetical ideas for Mewman and Monsterkind integration. She wanted Toffee to stay by her side during all of it, to be out in the open with their relationship.

As Eclipsa came even closer to her castle, her eyes found the tower that contained her bedroom. The little blue flag on the ceiling stood proud and fluttered in the light breeze, as if welcoming her back from her adventure. Her tower was nicknamed the Rose Tower due to its divine view of the Royal Rose Gardens, her favourite garden and one of the best places to spend free time, and the thick, currently blooming rose vines that grew and clung to the tower's outside wall and ceiling. She used the vines and a rope made up of tied together spare bedsheets to sneak in and out of her tower. She hoped they were still there. Otherwise, she would have to use the secret tunnels she was still working to memorize. Her mother and grandmother didn't even know about them, so it was not one of those things she could ask for help in learning. After using the familiar path of moss-covered rocks to get across the castle moat, Eclipsa regarded her opulent home, wondered what Toffee's home looked like, and walked in the direction of the Rose Tower. She used her knowledge of the patrolling schedules of the knights to avoid them as she made her way through the village and back to her tower.

Once the princess finally reached her tower, she let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding when her eyes landed on her carefully crafted white sheet rope with the impaled end being held down in place by one of the vine's thorns, right where she left it. She tightened her black hood before she unhooked the rope end. She then wrapped it around her left shoulder so that it will climb with her, and clutched the reminder of the rope. After a quick glance to assess her surroundings, Eclipsa climbed up the tower with steady movements. She kept her eyes fixed on her still opened bedroom window with its familiar dark green curtain. As she climbed, following the rose vines when she came upon them and adeptly avoiding their spikes, she allowed her mind to drift back to Monsterkind and Mewman relations in general.

Eclipsa couldn't help but fantasize of what life would be like for Mewmans and Monsterkind after integration. She imagined peaceful days and quiet nights, with resentment on both sides being replaced with understanding. She imagined monster and Mewman children playing together in the village streets. She imagined herself as queen sitting at a long table with her council, members of the Mewman nobility, and an adult Toffee sitting in the chair at her right. She thought of his bright yellow eyes and his calming, silver-tongued voice whispering dark jokes into her ear to keep her sane during mind-numbing queen meetings.

Eclipsa knew her ambitious, monster related plans will be met with criticism and resistance from her fellow Mewmans. In fact, pulling out the saber tooth of a demon cat from the Underworld would probably be an easier endeavor. However, she didn't let herself get discouraged because she knew her people's fear and hatred was based in ignorance. What is the best cure for that? Education and finding common ground through interaction. She wanted to construct paths of friendship between Monsterkind and Mewmans instead of dividing walls. After all, what better way to set an example for her people than being a queen who had crafted such a path and formed a friendship with a gifted, intelligent, and socially polite Septarian noble that went back to their childhoods.

Once the girl reached her window, she placed her hands on its sill and hauled herself up and through the opening, using her cushioned window seat for leverage and swinging her legs around to land her feet with little sound on her strategically placed yellow and orange floor pillows with floral patterns. Once the princess regained her footing, she loosened and lowered her hood before removing the coiled sheet rope from her shoulder and swiftly untying it from its secure pillar. Her brain was spinning as her body seemed to move without conscious thought.

Using the predawn light pooling into her room from her many spade shaped windows, she performed the typical tasks of silently closing the green curtain of her largest window, untying each spare bedsheet, folding them, and stacking them into a neat pile to put in the back of her wardrobe, dismantling the decoy in her bed and putting its pieces into hidden places in her wardrobe, throwing away the wrappers in her pocket, and changing back into her repugnant pastel blue and pink night gown given to her by Grandmother Sunniva. As she moved her body through her routine, vines of doubt grew and clung to her mind.

Did she truly think she could change the minds and hearts of her fellow Mewmans, especially the poor and elderly? So many had lost loved ones or had their villages be attacked and pillaged by monster forces during the war. Could such bad memory association be that simple to overcome? What if her subjects turned on her? Try to run her out of her own kingdom? It would be such a shame to have to use her magic on her own people. And for what? A prejudice based in ignorance and fear.

And what of the monsters? The creatures who have had their land taken away and stricken with poverty. Who have had family members and friends not just killed in war but also for sport and decoration trophies. Who have been oppressed for decades, perhaps centuries depending on the monster species. The monsters are the ones who have had their own villages pillaged and burned by Mewman forces under the orders of her own grandmother. It was very difficult for Eclipsa to imagine many monsters in leadership positions trusting her at all, no matter how kindly and respectfully she treated them. What reasons would they truly have? Eclipsa, the direct descendant of the first queen who used her magic and weapon enhanced army to steal land and drive their monster ancestors into the forests, swamplands and mountains. There have been many wars between them ever since. There may be peace now but who knows how long it will last? The monsters had many justified reasons to not trust Mewmans. _Why would I be any different?_

Eclipsa caught her reflection in her sizeable black vanity mirror after she put away her folded hiking outfit, given to her by Mother, into its drawer. The red flower was, astonishingly, still in her hair and it even made her nightgown look less ugly. She smiled and lifted her hand to gently brush her gloveless fingertips along the delicate, smooth petals. She remembered Toffee's bright yellow eyes and his sharp yet gentle clawed fingers carding her hair as he placed it behind her ear, resulting in a shiver shooting down her spine she had barely managed to suppress. She remembered his intellect, poise, kind words, and spiraled tail. She remembered his short-lived bursts of intense anger, his wicked smirk, his dark laugh, and his gentler, rare smile. For a Septarian to express a wide range of emotions, no matter how temporary, illustrated his comfort levels around her.

The girl's smile widened as she thought, _Toffee says I'm different and he likes me, Mr. Larry says to use it to my advantage. So, the logical thing to do would be to use my differences to earn the trust of those with influence and power in the monster world. First things first, convince Mother to abolish monster hunting._ Estelle already viewed monsters with more respect and sympathy than past rulers. It was often a point of contention between mother and grandmother, so the princess was certain it would not be too difficult to convince her. The doubts began to recede and she felt a slight weight being lifted from her shoulders. There was also no harm in forming long-lasting alliances for future political endeavors. She would certainly not be the first Butterfly to do so, just the first to cross Mewman-Monster lines.

Toffee and his family seemed like a good place to start. Of course, even if he were not part of the nobility, she would still want to be around him. He was captivating. Eclipsa's smile broadened to one she would describe as goofy if she were in her rational mind. She twirled a few times, resulting in her lacy skirt billowing around her legs and feeling light on her bare feet. The girl halted her spinning with her pale hands clasped in front of her chest. Her grayish-purple eyes scanned her room, looking for the perfect hiding place for her newest, most precious gift.

Her eyes landed on her wooden, four-poster bed that was covered by her dark blue and plum coloured sheets and slightly obscured by the black curtains. The headboard had a purple, spade shaped engraving and three soft pillows laying against it. Her eyes fell to the wooden planks under her bed that made up the floor, remembering there was a few loose that she could hide the flower in. However, the probability of the petals being damaged by natural forces, like insects, would increase substantially if she were to hide it under the floor boards.

Her eyes wondered right to her wooden night table next to her bed. It contained a compartment made accessible by a single, little door that required a kay to open. She could hide the flower in there. It would be out of sight and she could take it out easily whenever she wished. A familiar, pale face with short, night black hair, and bright green eyes suddenly appeared in Eclipsa's mind and she shook her head. Clarissa, one of her maids, was too meddlesome for her own good. She was the reason Eclipsa took such precautions when sneaking out at night.

A year ago, Eclipsa had created an adventure book filled with pictures and maps of all the places she wanted to travel to, both in Mewni and in other dimensions. She had kept it in her bedside table and Clarissa had found it when she was using cleaning as an excuse to snoop. Eclipsa suspected she possessed lock picking skills but had no way to prove it. Once Clarissa found the book, she immediately took it to Queen Estelle. Mother had been concerned about her daughter traveling to other dimensions and places around Mewni alone so soon after the drought. Thus, she kept Eclipsa busy during the day with a full timetable and had guards posted outside her room at night. Clarissa had been a thorn in Eclipsa's side ever since. If the girl put the flower inside her night table, Clarissa would certainly find it and take it to her mother, which will lead to questions being asked she would rather not answer.

Her eyes drifted away from her sleeping area to the dark green shelves mounted along three of her pale brick walls. The shelves displayed her dolls, a few were missing their heads, stuffed animals, magical girl figurines, demon figurines, black skulls holding purple candles, and decorative boxes that contained burning herbs and various pieces of jewelry handed down to her from older family members. She contemplated about hiding the flower amongst the items displayed on her shelves but then that would mean putting the gift in plain sight for everyone to see. She wanted to keep it all to herself.

Her eyes slid past the various pictures on her walls declaring her love of the arts, flowers, books, science, and magic to land on her black book case. It was as tall as her bed and long enough to take up half of the entire wall it was up against. On some shelves the books were neatly aligned, on other shelves the books were haphazardly stacked, and then there were some empty shelves waiting to be filled with future books. Her gray-purple eyes widened, an idea lighting up her brain like a bright, flashing sign.

Eclipsa walked over to her book shelves, her eyes scanning over the section containing all the hardback, boring instructional how-to-be-a-queen/princess books. Her eyes landed on the second to thickest book in terms of page count, 630, and used both hands to pull it off its designated spot. The girl placed the bulky, bright pink and white atrocity on the floor in front of her and opened it to page 250. The number of monsters killed in the Battle at Mewni River, including women and children, was 250. On that dark day, the river turned red with blood.

Despite the depressing facts, the sight of the book which taught her those facts brought a tiny smile to her face. Pages 250 to 500 of the how-to book were carved out and held her only book written by a monster in its resulting box. Oh, how she wished she could have met Coco Windfall, his writing style was so descriptive and immersive. His book was a small, yet thick, paperback with a creased spine and yellow pages showing its age and previous owners. The cover of the book depicted various monster limbs, some with weapons and some clenched, reaching for dawn's light with a silhouette of Butterfly Castle looming over them. The title was written in curvy, blood red letters and translated to _Greed & Gruesome_.

Eclipsa walked over to her bedside table drawer, quietly opened it with her key, and pulled out two thick sheets of paper. They were large enough for the flower yet small enough to still fit inside the queen book. The princess carefully shut and locked the drawer and returned the key to its hiding spot under her bed. She then walked back over to her instructional book and sat back down with her legs crossed. She carefully lifted her hidden book from its home and placed it in her lap. The spade cheeked girl opened Windfall's book to a random page near the middle and lined it with one sheet of paper. She lifted her free hand and removed the red flower from behind her ear. The young princess inhaled the crimson bloom's sweet fragrance one more time before she carefully placed it on the paper. She then placed the other piece of paper on top of the blossom before carefully closing the book, making sure the flower's arrangement position was not disturbed.

The teal haired girl then put her monster book back into its hiding place and closed the instructional queen book. She got to her feet, picked up the heavy book, and placed it on her bedside table. Eclipsa gathered five more thick books on her shelves from various sections and stacked them on top of the hollowed-out book. Clarissa would not dare touch or snoop through the books on her shelves or the ones she had out by her bed. The last time Clarissa did such a thing, Eclipsa caught the intrusive maid in the act and threw her, to date, only tantrum that was certainly fit for a princess. Mother decreed that none of the help were permitted to touch Princess Eclipsa's books again. Fortunately, her Septarian book was never discovered. Pressing the flower with this method will take a few weeks and she must change the blotter sheets every few days but the delicate blossom will be perfectly preserved and safe. She could not think of a more suitable place for her secret gift then hidden within the pages of her illicit book that began a life altering conversation and a forbidden relationship.

Eclipsa turned back to her bed, lifting the covers to get a few hours of sleep before Rosette and Usagi, her ladies in waiting, awoke her with the smells of breakfast. After she got in her bed, she glanced out of her spade shaped window that was closest to her bed. The sky was painted with streaks of pink, orange, yellow, and red as if a masterful artist decided to use the Mewni sky as their canvas. Despite her inevitable fatigue, she was energized about the upcoming day. She rested her head on her fluffy pillows and as she drifted off into dreamland, lyrics of a song from one of her _favourite_ musicians played softly in her head. _So, begins a new dawn, a new life, and I'm feeling grand._

Author's end notes:

Well, as Porky Pig says: That's all, folks! I hope some readers enjoyed this addition to the fandom. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. Growing up as friends, I imagine Eclipsa and Toffee having a similar relationship dynamic to Star and Marco, in which Eclipsa is reckless and fun-loving while Toffee is the more logical and cautious one. I may write more for this pairing if inspiration strikes.

I'm a multi-shipper so in addition to supporting Eclipsa/Toffee aka Sweet Eclipse, I also support Toffee/Rasticore aka Toffeecore. If anyone is interested in that pairing, I highly recommend the fanfic Carry Him Out by Rictus, which can be found over at Archive of Our Own. Thanks for reading!


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